Electrode holder



April 22 1924. 1,491,379

J. CERA ELECTRODE HOLDER Filed Feb. 28. 1923 /m/enl'or fo/m Cera Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES y n 1,491,319 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CEEA, or PITTSEIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNoa To GENERAL' ELECTRIC ConrANY, A ConroaATIoN or NEW vom.

ELECTBUDE HOLDER.

`Application led February 28, 1923. Serial No. 621,925. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHN CERA, a citizen of the. United, States, residing at Pittsfield, county of Berkshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Impro'vements in Electrode Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My"invention relates to electrode holders and more particularly to electrode holders for arc welding, wherein the welding are is maintained between the work and an electrode secured in the holder, the electrode being connected to one terminal of a suitable source of welding current and the work to the other terminal of such source.

An object of my invention isto provide an electrode holder which is short, light and easy to handle, and which is so constructed that the handle remains cool during service.

Electrode holders are customarily provided with a handle ofwood or other insulating material and during .welding the heat transmitted to the handle makes the handle so hot that it cannot be held com-` fortably This necessitates laying the holderv side to permit it to cool and frequently destroys the handle after a few weeks service. holders have been proposed in which the handle is secured to the electrode .holding means b means including a tube which is provide with Ventilating holes placed therein to ermit a circulation of air therethrough.y n all of suchv devices with which I am familiar there is a fairly direct heat transmitting path of.considerable area between the electrode lengaging means and the handle, and to secure an appreciable cooling efect the ventilated tube is neces- Sarily relatively lon so that the tool' becomes relatively cum ersome and difficult; to hold. With continuedservice, moreover, the deposit which occurs on anything in proximlty to a welding arc tends to clog the tube and restrict the circulation of air.

According to my invention the construction is such that the heat transmission is -eectively restrictedv without any increase in the length of the holder and the arrangement is such that there is practically no opportunity for the Ventilating passages to become closed. 1

My invention will be `better understood from'the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and

To overcome these objections electrode" holding means its scope will be pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing,` Fig. 1 is a view partly `in section showing the construction of my improved electrode holder with an electrode 1n place therein and with a conductor secured therein vfor leading current into the electrode holder; Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direct1on of the arrows.

The electrode holder comprises a handle 1 and vmeans 3 for engaging and holding an electrode 2. The means 3 vfor engaging and holding theelectrode is shown as yprovided with a socket for holding the electrode in alignment with the handle 1, a plurality of screws 4 being provided for clamping the electrode in the socket. The electrode hold.- ing means 3 is secured to the handle 1 by means of an insert, preferablyof steel, which comprises a pair of discs 5 and 6 secured together by a plurality of pins 7, three being Shown and these pins are preferably welded to the discs 5 and 6 near the periphery thereof. The discs 5 and 6 are thus rigidly secured together and they are preferably spaced a art Vabout half an inch to provide for the clrculation of air between the discs. The arrangement of pins near the periphery of the discs .does not interfere Iwith the free circulation of air between the discs. A member 8 is secured at the center of disc 5 and is indicated as secured to the disc 5 by being welded thereto. The handle 1 is secured to the member 8 in any suitable manner, the securing means being represented in the drawing as a screw 9 threaded into the Amember 8. The member 8 preferably projects a short distance into the handle 1 as shown in the drawing. y A stud 10 is secured at the center of disc 6 preferably by welding as shown and the holding means 3 for the electrode is shown as threaded upon thisstud. The conductor 11 for leading current into the holder is secured to the member 8 in any suitable manner. kIn the drawing the bared end of the conductor is represented as clamped-in a longitudinal opening in the member 8 by means of the screw 12. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated the members 8 and 10 are Secured to the discs 5 and 64 in alignment with each other and the conduction of heat from the 3 lto the handle 1 is effectively restricted since there is a good circulation of air between the discs 5 and V6 which keep these discs and the connecting pins 7 cool. The arrangement is such that there is no short direct path for the heat to be conducted from the holding means 3 to the handle. The electrode 2 and the holding means 3 therefore become quite hot when the tool is in service but with my im roved arrangement I have 'found that the andle remains sutliciently cool to permit welding to be carried on continuously and since the handle remains quite cool the insulation of which it is composed does not deteriorate by continued use. The Ventilating spaces between the discs 5 and 6 are large and there is vpractically no opportunity for these Ventilating passages to vbecome closed by dirt or deposit from the arc.

My improved arrangement makes it possible to keep the handle of the tool cool and yet have the total length of the electrode holder short. I have had perfectly successful results with 'an electrode holder which is i only about 7l long.

-electrode and means for securing said This makes it possible to make the tool light and easy to handle. The tool can be held between the thumb and lingers .like an ordinary pencil, thus giving the operator control of an electrode as sensitively and correctly as one handles a pencil.

`While certain features of my invention are not limited to such an arrangement, I preferably arrange the electrode 2 in alignment with the handle 1 so that the are is at the greatest possible distance from the handle. This lessens the heat which tends to be transmitted by direct radiation from the arc to the hand of the operator and to the handle of the tool.

While I prefer to provide discs 5 and 6 secured together by pins welded thereto and prefer to secure the members 8 and 10 to the discs by electric welding, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my invention is not limited to such an arrangement,

but embraces an e uivalent arrangement whether the parts are secured together by bolts or rivets, or cast or otherwise formed in one piece. It will be apparent that the discs might be replaced by plates or menibers not in disc form without departing from the broader aspects of my invention, but the disc members constitute a simple and effective arrangement and make it possible to produce a rigid and well balanced device. Since the discs are relatively thincompared to the members'3 and 8 and present a considerable surface to the air which circulates between the discs, the cooling is very effective.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is: 1. An electrode holder for arc welding comprising a handle, means for holding an handle to said electrode holding means comprisingy melnbers spaced apart to provide for the circulation of air therebetween and means rigidly connecting said members together arranged to minimize heat transmission from said electrode holding .means to the handle and to permit the free circulation of air between said members.

2. An electrode holder for are welding comprising a handle, means for holding an electrode and means for securing said handle to said electrode holding means comprising a pair of plates spaced apart to provide for the circulation of air therebetween and means for rigidly securmg said plates together arranged to lest-riet the transmission of heat from said electrode holding means to the handle and located to permit the free circulation of airbetween said plates.

3. An electrode holder for arc welding comprising a handle, means for holding an electrode and means for securing said handle to said electrode holding means comprising aY pair of discs spaced apart to provide for the circulation of air therebetween and means for securing said discs together comprising members of small cross section located near the edges of said discs whereby the transmission of heat from the electrode holding means to the handle is restricted and the free circulation of air between said discs permitted.

4. A n electrode holder for arc weldin comprisinga handle,means aligned therewith for holding an electrode and means for securing said handle to' said electrode holdin means comprising a pair of members secured respectively to said handle and to said holding means and spaced apart to hermit a circulation of air therebetween and means for connecting said members together consisting of members of small'cross section secured to said spaced members and located out of align` ment with said handle and holding means whereby heat transmission from the holding means to the handle is restricted.

5. An electrode holder for are welding comprising a handle, means for holding an electrode, means for securing said handle to said electrode holding means comprising a pair'of metal discs, one of said discs having a projection from the center thereof entering a short distance into one end of said handle and secured thereto whereby a conductor may be secured thereto for leading in the welding current, the other disc having a projection from the center thereof to which the electrode holding means is secured and means for rigidly connecting said discs together and holding them in spaced relation comprising a plurality of metal pin-like members secured to' said discs near the peripher thereof.

6. An electro e holder comprising a handle, means for engaging and holding an electrode with the axis of the electrode in and provided with means'V alignment, with the axis of said handle, and mit a free circulation of air between the discs means for securing said electrode holding and restrict the transmission of heat from means to said handle comprising a pair of the electrode holding means to the handle.- 10 discs secured respectively to said handle and In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my to said electrode holding means and means hand this 26th da)7 of February, 1923,. for spacing said discs apart and securing n them rigidly to each other ar. 'mged to per- JOHN CERA. 

